Warning to newbies

The problem that I see is that too many enter trucking with the wrong perspective. You have to buy your way in now. No more BSing your way in like old school. You will either buy your way in out of pocket or on contract. You will have to learn how to make money doing this and more importantly the problem for some is not what you make, but what you spend. Takes a lot to learn how to make it. Many go belly up or get frustrated and bail. Money can be made when you know how to do it. Some spouses even get along better when the driver is out and home on weekends.

My wife is very independent and was not used to me being home all the time. She got used to taking care of things when I was on the road and I had to retrain her when I quit driving. What the new person does not realize when they hear the avg. wage is you are no longer talking about a 40 hour work week. It is 70 hours. Now compare that to working an extra 30 hours and being gone and the money looks smaller all the time. That being said the money gets better as you learn the ropes. Problem is many get into trucking already in the hole. By the time you pay for all the stuff you need to go out and your pay is not worth a flip when you are with a trainer many start getting advances on their pay and that is how they start out and they can never climb out of the hole. They just keep digging deeper and deeper.

Is trucking a good job for a family man? In my opinion no, but if you decide to do it then you have to make the best out of it. 2 years into trucking and keep your nose clean and you can just about do anything you want in this field. Is there a price to pay? Sure there is, but isn't that the normal for our everyday life? Trucking is like any other thing. if I am going to follow someone's advice I choose to follow the ones that have made it. A few months into this has barely given you a taste of it. The ones that have toughed it out have went through the intro to trucking have found something they decided is worth staying for. In this job time will tell, but too often you can tell with a stop watch.

 

Ok...you willingly quit a 40k job for 30k.
You knew about the home time..2 days every 2 weeks
You knew about being alone
You knew exactly what you were getting into but you took the leap of faith anyway. NOW it sucks?

It only sucks, in your opinion, because YOU couldn't deal with it. But, I have to agree with most here...you bailed before giving the JOB and YOURSELF a chance. Coming in here and saying it sucks after 2 months is BS, especially when you knew what you were getting into. Maybe you should have come in here and said that you tried...it wasn't for you...and you quit. That would be easier to understand than your lame attitude of "It Sucks".

 

wow i want to work at that supermarket 2k/mo h### the grocery stores here pay minimum wage up untill recently that was 5.15/hr now its 6.75 but still thats no 490$/week thats maybe 500$/2weeks

 

KD and Army pretty much summed up what i have to say. The way i look at it is the way i look and almost eveyrthing, you have to sacrifice things to get anywhere in life, wether it be providing for your family or doing stuff you enjoy. Ive spent four years in the service and my wife has been busting her ### working two jobs and paying her way through school, we've been apart the same amount as we've been together in our marriage, but we're trying to build a foundation for our familys future, I start driving otr within the next few weeks, do i plan on doing it for a career no, but its what i got to do to pay the bills till shes graduates and i can go to a tech school. This all maybe a little off topic but so many folks dont realize you cant get #### handed to you with a sliver spoon right away if ever, It all boils down to making sacrifices to better the situation! alright yall let me kick this soapbox

 

Here we go again,one thing first,if you went around picking up cans you would really be bored worse than driving as you said,,if you picked up cans you wouldn't make 400 a week never mind 600,if you started with sneider you didn't have to end with scneider,you end with yellow,ups,fed ex walmart,and make 70 to 100 a year,but that's alright,I personally want someone deliering my products to me for me that really likes his career. If you are bored on the road you must have kept to yourself and not been socialized. I find new folks everyday out there on the road. You can take three week vacations your first year even with sneider if you did your job right. I have two sons driving making 800 to 1100 clear a week,plus a 10000 perdiem deduction every year,you don't get that in your job at home unless your a nurse or similiar. Like I said,trucking over the road is not for everybody,so,please don't try to put us down sayiny your family deserves better,I raised 4 children with my first wife,she never had to work,until she wanted and of course after the divorce,my 2nd wife and i are together for over 18 yrs and she loves the things we buy,happy when I leave and come home,You know why?,because she knows i love what I'm doing and not bored at all when i"m on the road. I really think you couldn't handle it though,why would you say trucking sucks in so many words and never mentioned local driving for 60 to 80 a year,than your measley 40,000. Sorry folks if I sound harsh,but like Burky says.We are proud of our proession and professionism.

 

I think eptp88 is just frustrated at himself for allowing himself to get in over his head. I truly believe his warning was meant to help new drivers. It just came out wrong. I might be wrong but then again I have said stupid things in the past with good intentions behind the.

on another note- I don't believe some drivers in here are thinking straight when it comes to working this lifestyle only to get into the tech industry in the future. I am currently in that industry pulling in alot of money and eventually want to become a driver. Driving will be around for many years. Tech jobs will not. To each his own but I am trying to find something that I can do until I die

 

Ya that almost makes sense... Disiel mechs wont be needed neither will welding

 

Andy, it souns as though you are not up to speed on technology. Most software products are making it easier to do jobs without leaving their home. PC's are now being fixed remotely without having a technician drive out to users home. This kind of job will eventually move to India or China. Welding will stay here just for you, until it gets cheaper to weld in China and ship the product here

 

Im not talking about computer work, Desiel technician

 

One thing that's kind of funny to me. Most folks that I have known for many years have or had to switch careers halfway thru to retirement,also many I know have switched and are happy doing something else. While I have tried that,Went to college for autocad drafting for eight months on a course that lasted for two years to get my degree of 4 yrs full time. I could not afford to keep going and stop driving trucks,in my case it worked out fine,I would never have been happy in a room drafting plans all day stuck inside or out in bad and good weather. I am glad that trucking is one occupation that has many variations,days,nights,local,regional,over the road long distance,trash cement,wreckers,reefers,fats,aut haulers,hot shots,there are almost no limits,30000 to 150000,driving a truck ,almost as free as a bird,and thats not even driving your own truck,unions,nonunions,no limit,I read the obituaries very day to see if I am in it,ha.ha.,Alot of times more than other jobs ,I read lifelong trucker,very loving father brother etc,that reall sticks in my mind,alot of others have had many different occupations in their lifetimes.